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Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday granted an order of substituted means in a suit seeking to re-open investigations into the murder of a former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Funsho Williams.
One of the detainees in the murder trial, Bashir Junaid, had filed the suit seeking an order of mandamus compelling the Inspector-General of Police (IG) to re-open investigations into how the late PDP stalwart was murdered in cold blood.
Williams was killed on July 27, 2006 at his Dolphin Estate residence in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Junaid, a former cemetery attendant, was detained for about one year in connection with the killing, but later released.
He had filed the suit before Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia and listed the IG at the time, Mr. Sunday Ehindero; Lagos State Commissioner of Police; the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in the murder case; Attorney-General of the Federation at the time; Mrs. Modupe Shasore; PDP; former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu; Dr. Muiz Banire; Mr. Babatunde Edu; Mr. Dele Alake; and Oladele Ajomale, as respondents.
When the matter came up yesterday, lawyer to the plaintiff, Tunji Adesheye, moved an ex-parte application for substituted service and service of the writ of summons on some of the defendants outside the jurisdiction.
The order was granted as prayed by Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia, who later adjourned the matter to April 29 for hearing.
In the suit, Junaid, cited Tinubu as a prime suspect.
The plaintiff is also praying the court to compel the Attorney General of the Federation to direct the appropriate organ in the criminal justice administration in Nigeria, to commence prosecution of the alleged suspects.
The plaintiff is asking for a claim for compensatory and exemplary damages of N5 billion against the 11 defendants for their actions or inaction over his illegal detention and psychological trauma.
In a 48-point statement of claims in support of the suit, Junaid who lives at 6/8 Oladiti Street, Ilupeju, Palm Grove, Lagos, averred that due to the influence of Tinubu and Banire and the compromising position of the investigators at the Federal Central Investigations Department (FCID) Alagbon, Banire was only cautioned and made to rewrite another statement by the police, while his freely confessed statement which could have assisted the police in its attempt to unravel the actual killers of Williams, with the concrete and implicating evidence was discarded by the police at Alagbon Close, Lagos.
He contended that with the botched and compromised investigations of the murder of Williams by the FCID, which led to letting the 7th to 11th defendants off the hook, as no further interrogations were directed at him, he was pushed from one officer to the other, until he was released by the Lagos High Court which declared that his continued detention by the police was unconstitutional and illegal as his continuous arrest was a flagrant violation of his fundamental human rights to personal liberty.
